True to form, the 39-year-old \u2013 a crowd favourite on the final, dramatic, day on England\u2019s west coast after local hero Tommy Fleetwood fell from contention \u2013 still has time for New Zealand\u2019s media and is on a zoom call with 1News.<\/p>\n
Popular Kiwi golfer talks\u00a0about his stunning final round at Royal Birkdale, celebrations, and plans to bring the Claret Jug home.\u00a0 (Source: 1News)<\/p>\n
Only hours after his victory, which was celebrated into the small hours before he got on a flight from Manchester to London and then on to Miami, the commitments are already stacking up.<\/p>\n
He says he has six or seven hours of international media interviews booked over the next few days but that reliving the greatest accomplishment of his career, one that matches Kiwi Sir Bob Charles\u2019 Open triumph of 63 years earlier, is no hardship. His previous best finish in a major championship was a tie for 19th at the US Open last year.<\/p>\n
A laidback and popular figure for his approach to the game and life, a middle-aged bloke with an idiosyncratic swing and an occasionally untucked polo shirt, Fox is well on his way to becoming a Kiwi folk hero.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how he remembers the final few holes: <\/p>\n
\u201cIt felt like the whole nation was there with me on Sunday. It felt like the whole crowd was with me as well \u2013 for whatever reason, the English fans really jumped on me coming down [the stretch] after Tommy\u2026 was out of it at the end.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey stayed for the last few holes and the atmosphere was incredible. There were a lot of Kiwis there as well \u2013 you can always pick a Kiwi accent in a crowd. The whole thing was just surreal, and I just tried to stay in my own little bubble.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t help but notice the atmosphere walking on the 18th green \u2013 that was maybe the coolest thing I\u2019ve ever felt until I holed the putt and then that was cooler again.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Ryan Fox celebrates after sinking the putt that won him the Open. (Source: Getty)<\/p>\n
The final 11 foot (3.3m) birdie putt to win by one stroke over American Cam Young was the final act of a drama which Fox still can\u2019t get his head around.<\/p>\n
Fox started with a 72 and a 68 to make the cut on the even-par number, played his final 36 holes in 10 under and did move not into the outright lead for good until his final stroke.<\/p>\n
For many Kiwis watching on television early yesterday morning, it appeared to be one of the great comebacks in major championship history. It literally was. After two rounds he was in a tie for 52nd. No one has won a men\u2019s major from that position.<\/p>\n
The man who joins Sir Bob, Michael Campbell and Lydia Ko as New Zealand\u2019s major champions appeared unsure quite how to react once victory was confirmed.<\/p>\n
Still clutching his putter, he held his hands aloft before removing his cap, turning to retrieve his ball from the hole and shook hands with his playing partner \u2013 a small act of good sportsmanship \u2013 before he celebrated with his caddie Dean Smith. <\/p>\n
Into a private room at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club<\/p>\n
Afterwards, once the presentations and media commitments were done, he celebrated with fellow professionals Dan Hillier, a New Zealander, and Australian Min Woo Lee and his team at a private room at the golf club.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what time we got booted out of there but we got the last rites and were told \u2018OK the courtesy car is coming now, you can get on it or you\u2019re walking home\u2019. We took a few back to our place not very far from Birkdale and went int the wee hours of the morning. I was in a car [to the airport] at 4.15 without any sleep. <\/p>\n
\u201cI still haven\u2019t had much sleep and I probably look like it too. It was a great celebration. I had to take myself away from it a few times to just chill out and process what the hell has happened over the last 24 hours. I still can\u2019t process it to be honest. It\u2019s going to take a while for it to sink in.”<\/p>\n
‘In many ways, it will make life easier’<\/p>\n
Life has suddenly changed for Fox, his wife Anneke and their two daughters.<\/p>\n
Winning the Claret Jug earned him $NZ5.5million and guaranteed entrance to future Open championships until he is 55. He jokes today that he wasn’t really planning on playing that long but may now reassess. He also gets a five-year exemption from qualifying for the three other majors; the Masters, US Open and PGA Championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn many ways it will make my life easier,\u201d he says. \u201cI know what I\u2019m going to be playing for the next five years. Obviously being in the majors\u2026 but in a lot of ways it will probably make my life harder. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere will be a lot of commitments, a lot of scrutiny, a lot more eyes on. I will be in marquee [playing] groups for the next little while which is a bit more stressful than Thursdays and Fridays usually are so that will take a bit of getting used to.<\/p>\n
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Ryan Fox and caddie Dean Smith celebrate victory. (Source: Getty)<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the moment I feel like I\u2019m running blind into it, but I\u2019ll just go with the flow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fox says he will take the next three weeks off and plans to bring the Claret Jug, which will be in his possession until the next Open (at St Andrews), back to New Zealand.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe plan is definitely to bring it home and parade it around as much as I\u2019m allowed to. We\u2019re still trying to figure out how that works.\u201d<\/p>\n
He adds: \u201cI\u2019ve got a replica one which is a little bit smaller and a little bit cleaner as well. I get to keep that. It was an interesting experience carrying them through the airport today. I haven\u2019t had four carry-on bags for a while and they were a bit awkward, but I wasn\u2019t going to check the Claret Jug in and leave it up to chance whether it would make it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n